Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Labour Plod recommends Centralism shock

As Autonomous Mind reports, Stevens was handpicked by Labour's Yvette Cooper from a stable of senior coppers sympatico to the common-purpose-big-state agenda rather than to policing to head up a major review of, er, Policing. Small surprise then when he recommends (1) further moves towards a national police force commanded by the Home Secretary (2) Strangling local democratic control at birth by abolishing PCCs (3) Extending police responsibility to general social control rather than just catching criminals.We can safety take the whole of Stevens' report and hang it on the nail on the outhouse wall. However, this also now places the ball firmly back in Cameroon's lap; as Labour are pledged to implement this nonsense if elected in 2015, Cameron must now announce the much-needed Royal Commission on Policing that is widely supported, not least by rank and file coppers themselves. A chair from outside the political class would be good; most generals are simply too dim, most entrepreneurs incapable of deferring to the views of others, but someone such as Simon Jenkins would fit.

I'm very disappointed by John Stevens.I met him when he was Commissioner and he impressed me as a proper policeman on the side of the front-line chaps like me.It seems he's gone native.What I don't understand is- why? He's rich enough to be a maverick and he's already got a Lordship-what's in it for him? Perhaps he wants to be head of the new unified police force?Jaded